Precedent Setting Agriculture Bill Signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe

"Boneta Bill" Cuts Regulations, Frees Family Farms Up to Prosper

Falls Church, VA, March 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virginia Senate
Bill 51 (SB51), a landmark bill creating more economic
opportunities and decreasing regulations for Virginia's family
farms was signed last Thursday by Governor Terry McAuliffe. The new
law takes effect July 1, 2014.

The law will increase consumer access to locally produced food,
as well as giving farmer's new markets and a more favorable
regulatory climate.

The new law limits the power of local government. Localities can
no longer prohibit agri-tourism activities unless they have a
substantial impact on the public's health, safety and welfare.
Localities also cannot require a permit for agri-tourism
activities, except in limited circumstances.

Under the new law, on-farm stores selling foods produced by
other farms will not be required to have either a state or local
permit. The bill also frees farmers to sell more non-food products
in their farm stores than they have in the past by eliminating both
state and local permitting requirements.

A Farm-to-Consumer Legal
Defense Fund member, farmer Martha Boneta, was the driving
force behind the bill. In 2012, Boneta was accused by Fauquier
County zoning officials with multiple permitting violations and
threatened with fines for activities on her farm, including pumpkin
carvings, yoga classes and a child's birthday party.

"I want to thank Gov. McAuliffe, the members of the General
Assembly, the Farm Bureau and all those who have rallied to the
defense of family farmers," Boneta said. "After all my family
and I have been through, it is a blessing that the rights of
farmers as entrepreneurs can be upheld."

Due to the publicity Boneta's case raised, the State Department
of Agriculture called for an On-Farm-Activities Working Group
(OFAWG) to work on the issue over last summer. Members of the
working group represented the entire spectrum of farming
organizations, from the Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers
Association, to the Virginia Farm Bureau and Virginia Agribusiness
Council.

The working group made recommendations, eventually leading to
the bill being introduced in January 2014. The final bill was
forged with bi-partisan support and the agreement of OFAWG
members.

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia served on the
OFAWG Committee. He says, "In a day when innovative farmers feel
stifled by tightening government regulations, passage of

SB51 known as the farm activities bill is like a gentle
reprieve. The Wine Growers in Virginia won these concessions a
decade ago and finally farmers who grow other things have the same
freedoms. Farmers may now wear some of the middle-man hats
(where the profits are) and bring historically-normal processing
and public interactive activities back to the farm. Farmers who
have been relegated to colonists growing raw commodities for urban
processing, marketing, and distribution may now express their
entrepreneurial savvy in their communities. This is a great win for
farmers who want to interact directly with their
customers."

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund actively supported the
legislation. The Fund President, Pete Kennedy says, "This will keep
more of Virginia food dollars in state, and keep the most
environmentally conscious stewards on the land."

The new law applies to farming operations located on land zoned
agricultural. A farming operation is defined as an enterprise
devoted to bona fide production of crops, animals, or fowl. The law
also covers farms producing fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, poultry
and dairy products. Farmers producing forestry, nursery and floral
products are also covered.

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
Funddefends the rights and broadens the freedoms
of family farms and artisan food producers while protecting
consumer access to raw milk and nutrient-dense foods. Those
concerned can support the FTCLDF, a U.S. based 501(c)(4) nonprofit,
by joining or donating online at www.farmtoconsumer.org or by
calling 703-208-FARM (3276).

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